The Devil lives in the Music of Top Star - Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Today felt like it passed by faster than usual.

Since the morning, Tae hyun and Seolhee kept talking to me, leaving me no time to think.

Even during my afternoon classes, some students who shared the same lectures started small conversations with me—just enough that it didn’t feel uncomfortable.

Maybe if my popularity hadn’t dropped by half, it would’ve been overwhelming, but thankfully, it was just manageable.

Talking to people made the day feel shorter.

At some point, I wondered—was the rest of the world moving at a faster pace while I remained the same?

“Phew!”

[Going for a walk?]

“Yeah, I just want to clear my head.”

[What’s wrong? No music work today?]

“Sometimes, you need a day to empty your mind. I think I took in too many conversations today.”

[O-Oh… then, I-I’ll just… leave you to it…]

Hearing that I needed time to think, the demon disappeared for a while.

I guess it’s really afraid of complex thoughts.

Enjoying my moment alone, I stepped outside.

It had been a hectic day, but I felt like I handled it well.

With the sun at my back, I stepped on my own elongated shadow as I walked slowly.

The sky was painted with a deep crimson hue.

Lately, I had seen a lot of clouds forming in neat rows, like sheep.

Even clouds seem to follow trends.

I walked through a narrow alleyway formed by rows of small apartments, looking up at the sky.

I must have only taken about ten steps.

Just when I thought I was finally getting some alone time—

My phone buzzed in my pocket.

A call from an unknown number.

“Hello?”

……

“Hello? Who’s this?”

…The Night Before.

It was the opening ceremony of the Humanities Department at Yesung University.

While everyone was lost in the celebration, enjoying the music and drinks,

Lee Jong Min stood with his arms crossed in front of the student council’s festival booth, watching the stage with a serious expression.

“Hmm…”

Baek Hyun Soo and Yoo Hee rin had already finished their performances, and now it was Yoo Jaehae’s turn.

“Hello, I’m Yoo Jae Hee.”

Jae Hee greeted the audience calmly.

To be honest, I didn’t like that guy before he auditioned.

But now…

For some reason, I was looking forward to this.

Not that I suddenly liked him or anything.

I barely knew him outside of his music.

“Whoa!”

“Jae Hee! Crush it!”

A few students from the Korean Literature department’s festival booth were shouting in excitement.

“I heard he has no friends…”

I started to doubt Kim Jongpil’s words.

A friendless, talentless shut-in…?

“He doesn’t seem like that at all…”

“I’m going to start now.”

Jae Hee still spoke in that calm tone.

Maybe it was because I knew he had arranged a dance song into a high-class performance,

But his quiet confidence seemed kind of cool.

The moment he started playing, the same song I had heard at the audition echoed across the small field.

I let out a deep sigh.

From the very first note, I could tell—a professional’s touch.

Sure, the sound quality wasn’t from high-end equipment,

But the arrangement alone was proof enough.

Listening to it made me feel excited, envious, and… strangely emotional.

But…

Was it because of what Kim Jongpil had said?

Or was it because of what I had seen six years ago?

Jae Hee’s incredible skill contrasted with his seemingly non serious attitude.

The contradiction clashed in my mind.

I needed to find out the truth.

As soon as the intro ended and the singing began,

A voice—perfectly suited to the song, yet incredibly unique—filled the air.

Jae Hee had already reached a level I hadn’t.

His playing wasn’t complicated; it seemed more like a tool to enhance his performance.

By the final part of the song, he stood up, playing the piano with one hand while holding the mic with the other.

His performance had a raw, rough energy—but it felt slightly unpolished.

Still, one thing was clear.

The guy was a genius when it came to music.

Maybe my amateur ears weren’t the best judge, but…

That wasn’t what really mattered.

“Oppa!”

“Huh? Yeah?”

“You’re staring so hard. Why are you looking at him like that?”

“Ah, no, it’s nothing… He’s just really good at music.”

“Right?! He’s the best non-professional musician I’ve ever seen!”

“You think so too?”

“His stage presence is a bit rough, but his music is insane.”

“Hmm…”

“Why are you asking me? You can tell just by watching.”

“Yeah, true. Just wondering.”

“Come on, drink! We’re doing a toast!”

“Alright, I’m coming.”

I let my student council junior pull me over and emptied a shot of soju.

It wasn’t his impressive music or his slightly awkward stage performance that bothered me.

I already understood how good he was.

“Why does this guy keep getting stuck in my head…?”

This time, it wasn’t because he annoyed me.

Since the audition, my perception of him had changed, but I wasn’t sure why.

I wanted to meet him in person and talk to him.

To confirm whether what Kim Jongpil had told me was true.

And to figure out why I couldn’t stop thinking about Yoo Jae Hee.

Eventually, Lee Jong Min gathered the courage to call Yoo Jae Hee.

He had found his number in the application form Jaehui had submitted for the performance.

“Hello?”

– Hello, Jae Hee. This is Lee Jong Min. We met at the Groovy Nation clubroom the other day. Do you remember?

“Uh… there were two guys that day, so…”

At that moment—

[Hey, it’s that guy with the rude eyes.]

“Ah…”

I was the one sitting in the back…

“Oh, yeah. I remember. Hello. So, what’s this call about…?”

If you don’t mind, could we meet today?

“Huh? Right now?”

[Did we really have to come here? Don’t you think so too?]

A small, privately owned café in the neighborhood.

The coffee was just okay. The atmosphere was just okay too.

That was a relief.

If the café had been too fancy, I wouldn’t have come here at all.

I used to stop by on my way to school sometimes because they sold Americanos for just 1,000 won. (won is Korean currency).

But this was my first time actually sitting at a table.

On the table were two cheap cups of Americano.

Instead of drinking coffee, I and Lee Jong-Min sat across from each other, awkwardly sipping the silence and focusing on the background music.

I had always wondered what the inside of this café looked like.
But right now, something else was piquing my curiosity even more.

“Um, why did you ask to meet me?”

I was the one who broke the silence first.

“I wanted to apologize.”

“Huh? Apologize for what…?”

Lee Jong-Min got straight to the point.

“I’m a friend of Kim Jong-pil.”

On the way here, the demon had been grumbling about how much it disliked Lee Jong-Min.

And now, he was bringing up Kim Jong-pil’s name.

I expected the demon to explode with curses, but surprisingly, it went completely silent.

“Oh, I see…”

Of course, I wasn’t exactly thrilled either.

“Jong-pil has been saying bad things about you.”

“Are you apologizing because of that?”

“Yes, because I also thought badly of you because of what he said.”

It must have made Lee Jong-Min uncomfortable, but for me, it was nothing new.

“It’s fine. It’s not the first time.”

“Oh, so you and Jong-pil don’t get along?”

“On the surface, we do, but…”

I paused for a moment, lost in thought.

Why had Lee Jong-in approached me?

For a second, I wondered if Kim Jong-pil had sent him for some reason.

But I quickly realized that Jong-pil had no reason to go that far.

So, I decided to take a chance.

“When I was in middle school, Jong-pil used to bully me. Of course, he probably doesn’t even remember, but… that’s why, on the surface, we don’t have any issues. Because I never show it.”

“Oh… I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to bring up something uncomfortable.”

“It’s okay. You didn’t know.”

“I used to think you were just someone who was obsessed with looking cool while doing music. But now, I don’t think that way anymore.”

As we talked, I became even more curious.

“But why did you come all the way here just to talk to me? Is it really just because you felt bad for thinking negatively about me?”

Maybe because I had been spending time with Seol-hee and Tae-hyun lately?

In the past, I would have struggled to find words in this kind of situation.

But now, conversations with others felt much easier.

“I just wanted to support you. You’re really good at music, but seeing someone like Jong-pil look down on you at school just didn’t sit right with me.”

“Hmm…”

“I really hate it when people who are serious about music don’t get the respect they deserve.”

Lee Jong-Min sounded sincere.

And at the same time, I felt like I couldn’t just stay passive anymore.

I had promised the demon that I would change.

Until now, Kim Jong-pil had just been a painful memory for me.

But listening to Lee Jong-Min, I started to realize—

He could become an obstacle in my future.

I needed to deal with this.

“Does Jong-pil know you came to see me?”

“No, he has no idea.”

“Don’t tell him.”

“Huh? I wasn’t planning to, but why…?”

“I’m going to talk to Jong-pil myself soon.”

I answered while looking out the window.

Of course, I was still afraid of Kim Jong-pil.

I almost started biting my nails but stopped myself, realizing it was a bad habit. Instead, I touched my chin.

“Do you need help?”

“Huh? Help with what?”

“I could go with you when you meet Jong-pil. Or I could help set up the meeting for you.”

It was strange that he was so willing to help me.

But I refused his offer for a different reason.

“No, I can do this on my own.”

Having the demon’s help was enough.

Even though, in reality, I wasn’t confident I could handle it alone. But this time, I had to.

“I hope you succeed.”

“Thanks.”

This unexpected meeting had given me a new resolution.

Right now, my biggest problem was clear.

I didn’t want to keep living in fear. To move forward, I had to remove the obstacle in my way.

After that, Lee Jong-Min and I continued talking for a while.

He seemed to have a pretty solid understanding of music. And his attitude toward art was serious.

Seeing how much music meant to him, I could understand why he looked at me with a hint of sympathy.

To someone like me, who never cared much about others, his concern felt a bit nosy.

But the world is full of different kinds of people.

And, honestly, his concern was something I appreciated. And I realized something new.

Sharing pain with someone else is more powerful than I thought.

The few words I told Lee Jong-Min gave me a small sense of healing.

And they gave me a huge boost of courage.